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The regulations, which take effect on July 6, amount to a near-total ban on the commercial trade of African elephant ivory. Current law allows for the sale of ivory and ivory products in limited cases where the seller can prove the ivory is old and was lawfully imported. But the new rules further restrict exports and sales across state lines, as well as limiting ivory trophy imports to two per year, per hunter.

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At 100 feet long, the blue whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived on our planet.

So it’s absolutely horrifying that these gentle giants are being struck and killed by commercial ships off the coast of California — especially because there is a simple life-saving solution!

If the Navy opened the waters around its Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station to commercial traffic, then hundreds of cargo ships, oil tankers and cruise liners could bypass the blue whale’s feeding grounds and be much less likely to strike and kill them.

But so far, the Navy has refused.

Tell the Obama Administration to help save some of the world’s last blue whales by opening Naval waters to commercial traffic.
Fewer than 10,000 of these magnificent creatures survive today. So one death from a ship strike is one too many!

Every summer and fall, blue whales migrate to the California coast to feed on the massive blooms of krill, their favorite food.

Unfortunately, these feeding grounds have been invaded by some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, with massive tankers moving millions of tons of cargo to the busy ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The tragic result? Helpless blue whales are rammed by the giant ships or cut to ribbons by the huge propellers.

Even more mind-boggling, the cost of moving these shipping lanes away from the blue whale’s feeding grounds would be relatively small. The Coast Guard knows they should be moved, and the shipping industry has stated it is willing to do so.

Polar bears are the largest predators on land, and they are the largest of all bears. Polar bears have fur and skin that allow them to absorb sunlight for warmth. Their blubber, or fat, insulates them in cold water. Polar bears have been known to swim 100 miles (161 kilometers) at a stretch.

Thanks to people, like me, whom wrote to the U.S. President, the Obama Administration has announced that it will propose an upgrade in international protection for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

If it passes, that increased protection under CITES will help end trophy hunting and stop the global trade in polar bear body parts.

This breakthrough is a major victory for NRDC BioGems Defenders, more than 100,000 of whom wrote to the White House asking President Obama to stand up for polar bears, in the weeks leading up to the administration’s decision.

Around the world, the Natural Resources Defense Council – NRDC – has played a leading role on this issue. The team recently traveled to Geneva to advocate polar bear conservation with the CITES Standing Committee, and partnered with allies in Norway and the European Union to build international momentum.

Most importantly, the NRDC helped secure the support of Russia — a key player in polar bear conservation — for the US proposal.

Over the next few months NRDC will be updating me as the CITES treaty talks approach — and asking you to take more action to maximize our chances of success.